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Cummins Spinner ... Will Not Polish

bkervaski

bkervaski

Hellloooooooo!
Testing
Just a warning to others with Cummins Spinners, before you commit to fitment test it's polishability (is that a word?).

I have a Cummins Spinner that simply will not polish. Something about the alloy is different from my last Cummins Spinner that did polish up. Any thoughts or suggestions would be great! I'm not replacing this one, done with Cummins Spinners. I'll either paint it or put on the fiberglass spinner. The first one developed a crack, this one won't polish. Alan Cummins is unreliable and unresponsive. But I'm willing to keep working it if someone has ideas.

From the polisher:

Whatever aluminum alloy the spinner is made out of doesn’t really polish. It’s different than the last one. It won’t polish like it should. We’ve tried everything. Orbital buffers, 6 kinds of polish, 3 different kinds of pads and wheels.
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o1J.jpg
 
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bkervaski said:
Just a warning to others with Cummins Spinners, before you commit to fitment test it's polishability (is that a word?).

I have a Cummins Spinner that simply will not polish. Something about the alloy is different from my last Cummins Spinner that did polish up. Any thoughts or suggestions would be great! I'm not replacing this one, done with Cummins Spinners. I'll either paint it or put on the fiberglass spinner. The first one developed a crack, this one won't polish. Alan Cummins is unreliable and unresponsive. But I'm willing to keep working it if someone has ideas.

From the polisher:



o1J.jpg
Click to expand...

Was this a replacement from Allan or was it source from US who had bought it from Allan?
One would have thought if he has made any changes to the stock that he uses to build these, would be after the reported fitting issue.

Mine did not polish like chrome but it was done by myself (not a professional polishing person) so the result was acceptable.
 
My Cummins spinner also did not polish up well. I had a professional do it initially and was never really happy with it. I also have tried to polish it up myself and did not have great results. I have polished a fair bit of aluminum in my day with good results, but I am far from an expert.

On all other fronts I am happy with the spinner. The parts fit very well and the instructions provided worked very well and result in very accurate fit. Ultimately I will probably end up painting it.
 
My first one polished up like a mirror.

Was this a replacement from Allan or was it source from US who had bought it from Allan?
Click to expand...

I got it from another guy when Alan was on hiatus.
 
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Simmon Hitchen wrote

on March 16th, " ... sanded down the entire spinner, then emery cloth, then super fine sandpaper, then buffing pads and finally polishing compounds. Turned out beautifully.
__________________
Simon Hitchen
Port Perry, ON, Canada"

Maybe his process would give a better result. Haven't tried it yet, but will, as polishing normally has not worked all that well for me, either.

Best regards,

Merrill
 
Me too

Had mine chromed as well. Looks awesome. It will look even more awesome when I get my XP-400 replacement.
 
Interesting ... Where did you guys have them chromed? How durable is the chrome finish? Did it add a lot of weight? Any pics?
 
I have been playing with an Eastwood powder-coating kit. Some of the chrome powders look incredible! And they stick very well to the aluminum. I will be chrome powdering the spinner on my Citabria soon.
 
Chrome

Weight is negligible, very durable, bugs clean off easy.

Wax it every few months. Clean it just like your windshield.

I can't seem to figure out how to post photos, so message me your e-mail and I'll send you a couple, and you can post my photos.

Had it chromed in Melbourne Florida, shipped via UPS Ground. They do lots of airplane parts:

Space Coast Plating
http://spacecoast-plating.com

I know three other people that have used them, all good experiences.
 
Jeff,

Awesome! Taking most of the maintenance away, plus getting that nice of a look seems to be a big win! Did you have to do anything to prep the spinner before sending it out for chrome? Sanding, smoothing?

Thanks!
 
No prep

Just fit / drill the spinner. No other preparation to spinner. Call Spacecoast plating before sending them the spinner, and they'll explain the process.
 
My spinner is at Spacecoast Plating and just finished the copper process, going into nickel and chrome today!

Question: Does all of these coatings make it necessary to re-drill the holes for the bolts? If so, any issues with chrome flaking off?
 
I just started the Cummins Spinner polish process. After experimenting with various grits of sandpaper before buffing, I find that buffing (#3 then #5 compound) is the only practical path forward. It does take far more time than anticipated.

Question on chrome for the spinner. Is there any issue with embrittlement of the aluminum? I worry about setting up for cracks.

Carl
 
Bavafa said:
Wow, this looks awesome. Just curious if anyone can share a ballpark cost for chroming the spinner.
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About $500 with Spacecoast Plating. $450 for the work, a small materials fee, shipping.
 
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No re-drilling

When it arrives you just screw it back on. Have some nylon washers on hand. No re-drilling required. But you'll want a cold beer and a lawn chair so you can sit back and love it!
 
My goodness! That is beautiful. I'll be interested in doing this with the Cummins Spinner I have. Did you need to smooth it before you sent it out to SpaceCoast? Any concerns of chrome flaking or cracking?

Very nice looking plane...BTW.
 
SeanB said:
My goodness! That is beautiful. I'll be interested in doing this with the Cummins Spinner I have. Did you need to smooth it before you sent it out to SpaceCoast? Any concerns of chrome flaking or cracking?
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Chrome is pretty durable but only time will tell. They do a lot of spinners.

They don't chrome the inside but they do chrome around the edge. There is some "extra" plating overflow on the inside that I bet will flake off.

It looks even better in person, glad I did it!
 
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Bill, my spinner, untouched has slight ripples from the forming process. Did you work those before sending it our for chrome? I imagine you did since you tried polishing first. It'll be nice just to clean the one you have now, rather than worrying about polishing it.
 
SeanB said:
Bill, my spinner, untouched has slight ripples from the forming process. Did you work those before sending it our for chrome? I imagine you did since you tried polishing first. It'll be nice just to clean the one you have now, rather than worrying about polishing it.
Click to expand...

They didn't ask me to prep anything but knew I couldn't get it polished so perhaps they didn't feel the need to ask but I bet the expect it to be ready. I would contact them and see - http://spacecoast-plating.com
 
Most shops that I have talked to or read their Q/A on their website, recommend not to any prep as this may add even more work for them.

This is really beautiful, I am going to have mine done as soon as I get a bit of down time.
 
400 hours on my chromed spinner

Over 400 hours in four years on my chromed spinner (also done by SpaceCoast). It still looks as good as it did on day-one. No cracking, no flaking, easily maintained, highly reccomened.
 
No prep

Forgot to mention.....I did zero prep before shipping out for chrome. I remember having those same ripples. It's smooth as glass now.
 
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